Blue Coat Acquires Security Threat Intelligence Tools

Blue Coat Systems is adding more smarts to its Web-based threat intelligence capabilities with the acquisition of Solera Networks and its DeepSee platform, which provides users with security visibility and forensics capabilities for advanced threat protection. Blue Coat expects the acquisition to close by the end of June. It also recently acquired Netronome and its SSL technology, which is already incorporated into the DeepSee platform.

Solera's customer base includes U.S. government departments and firms such as Qualcomm and Hitachi, which use DeepSee to detect advanced threats and targeted malware. The platform, which is a combination of software and appliances, tracks and records all network traffic to help enterprises identify and resolve threats.

Blue Coat also launched its SSL Visibility appliance as part of its new Business Assurance Technology Resolution Center; it integrates Netronome's SSL technology. The device will be available in the summer. The Resolution Center is part of the company's broader Business Assurance Technology blueprint, which includes four other centers to help enterprises to select devices and applications: Security and Policy Enforcement Center, Mobility Empowerment Center, Trusted Application Center and Performance Center.

Dell Releases New VDI Systems And Clients

Dell recently unveiled a range of new products for Citrix virtualized desktop environments, including those based on XenDesktop and XenApp. They include the Dell DVS Enterprise--Active System 800 for Citrix XenDesktop, Dell DVS Enterprise for Citrix XenDesktop, Dell Wyse Xenith Pro 2 zero client and the Dell Wyse D90Q7 and Z90Q7 thin clients.

The DVS Enterprise offerings support XenDesktop and its unified communications features and come in three deployment flavors: A pre-integrated system based on Dell's Active System 800, which combines Dell servers, storage, networking endpoint devices and infrastructure management software; DVS Enterprise supporting NVIDIA's GRID for virtualized graphics, which allows users to securely access multimedia, graphics-intensive and rich PC applications from any location on any device; and the DVS Integrated Storage, with local storage options that eliminate the need for enterprises to invest in a SAN.

The new thin clients are specifically aimed at virtual desktop environments. The Xenith Pro 2 is Dell's first dual-core zero client and is designed to support UC, HD multimedia creation and consumption while the Dell Wyse D90Q7 and Z90Q7 quad-core thin clients are based on Windows Embedded for deployment in a wide range of environments, including Dell, Citrix, Microsoft and VMware.
Dell's DVS Enterprise products are available in the United States now; the thin clients will be available in the U.S. in early July.

SolarWinds Beefs Up Network Monitoring Tool

SolarWinds has added new network route and multicast monitoring capabilities to its Network Performance Monitor (NPM). The system now enables IT administrators to view routing tables, changes in default routes, BPG transitions and flapping routes using a Web-based console. It also supports other major routing protocols such as RIP v2 and OSPF v2.

NPM's new network multicast monitoring feature enables IT pros to monitor routers, switches and endpoints that receive and forward multicast packets by automatically detecting and importing existing multicast groups and applications. Other new features include advanced interface filtering by hardware type, name and VLAN for importing new nodes, as well as interface auditing. Network scans can be scheduled to identify new network devices and alerts configured for correlated events, sustained conditions and complex combinations of device states.

A 30-day free trial of SolarWinds NPM is available now. Pricing starts at $2,675 and includes the first year of maintenance.

Marble Launches BYOD Protection
Marble Security has released a new cloud-based mobile security service aimed at protecting the enterprise from cyberattacks and data loss. The service is available for iOS, Android, Mac OS X and Windows for $3 per month per user for all of a user's devices; it can be downloaded via Google Play or Apple App Store or an email link.

Users with the Marble service on their device connect to Marble's VPN, while the vendor's Mobile Perimeter Defense technology enables enterprise IT administrators to protect users even if their device is infected with malware or jail-broken; it learns and adapts from machine data it assesses, including user and device attributes such as location, installed apps and network connections.

Respondents are on a roll: 53% brought their private clouds from concept to production in less than one year, and 60% ­extend their clouds across multiple datacenters. But expertise is scarce, with 51% saying acquiring skilled employees is a roadblock.